#9 Indianapolis (34-1): 3
Southern Indiana (18-14): 1
Box Score
ROMEOVILLE, Ill.—The University of Southern Indiana volleyball team pushed the University of Indianapolis to the limit, but it was not enough as the sixth-seeded Screaming Eagles fell to the two-seeded Greyhounds 22-25, 25-14, 25-23, 25-22 Saturday evening in the semifinals of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.
USI (18-14) reeled off eight straight points to overcome a 22-17 deficit and grab the opening-set victory. The Eagles hit .368 in the opening frame as they took a 1-0 lead in the match.
Indianapolis (34-1), ranked ninth in the latest AVCA Top 25 Coaches’ poll, fought back from an early 5-3 deficit in the second stanza. The Greyhounds, who hit .304 in game two, used a 15-3 run to take the set and even the match at 1-1.
The two squads battled back-and-forth in the third frame, with each team building small two or three-point leads throughout the set. USI forged ahead, building a late 21-19 advantage, but the Greyhounds answered with a 6-2 spurt to end the game and take a 2-1 edge in the match.
USI, which saw its season-best six-match winning streak come to an end, played evenly with the Greyhounds early in the fourth set, but a 7-2 push allowed Indianapolis to extend its advantage to 20-14. USI chiseled the deficit down to two points later in the frame, but a kill by Kristina Kerrigan, who had seven of her team-high tying 13 in the fourth frame, ended the set and any chance of a USI upset.
The Eagles, who likely see their season come to a close with the loss, got a career-effort from sophomore middle blocker Danielle LaGrange. LaGrange racked up a match-high 27 kills to go with five blocks and a .309 attacking percentage.
Junior outside hitter Brittani Oliver, who earned third-team All-GLVC honors for the second straight season, finished with 13 kills and a .290 attacking clip, while senior setter Melanie Pund, who also garnered third-team All-GLVC accolades, finished with 46 assists, eight digs, and four blocks.
Senior outside hitter Courtney Bealor aided the Eagles with a match-high 15 digs, while sophomore libero Krista Coccaro and junior defensive specialist Janae Curnutt finished with 12 and 11 digs, respectively.